


Can't Cheat Death (While You're Digging Your Own Grave)

by padmefuckingamidala



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol, Death, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, amethyst ocean, swagger bishie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-04-25 21:21:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4976980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/padmefuckingamidala/pseuds/padmefuckingamidala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Senior year and Dash is on top of the world. Danny isn't. Danny is pissed and covered in cuts and bruises, and oh yeah, his friends keep leaving and soon he's left alone. Dash takes pity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

September first. The first day of school. Senior year tone more specific. Dash strolled in with his letterman on his arm, wearing his usual black t-shirt and jeans, his Nikes new and stain-free.

He knew that this year was going to be killer. He was at the top of the school, no longer an underclassman, ready to get accepted into his favorite colleges, working down at his grandfather's bakery after school, taking independent art classes (because why not?); this was his year. Dash Baxter was going to shine brighter than ever. Life was good.

He got some "heys!" as he approached home room, mostly by his friends. Paulina, with her fingers laced in Star's, walked past and gave him a bright smile. Kwan was dead tired, and Dash knew damn well that his friend had stayed up last night playing video games. Countless faces passed, including Danny's and Sam's, but not Tucker's. He wondered where he could be, because you couldn't just skip the first day of school.

Danny was still the dork he used to be; jeans, converse, and a Star Wars shirt seemed to be the usual. His hair was all over the place. So, the usual. Sam, on the other hand, was looking different. Her hair had been cut, donning a pixie that was still dyed black. She wore a black dress with a white Peter Pan collar, black knee-high socks, and her black boots. She still had the goth vibe to her. Black lipstick, black cat-eye makeup, and a black septum ring hung out of her nose. The only thing that was different was the hair, really. It was almost comforting to see the two of them look the same. 

"Hey, Fenton," Dash called out. "Where's your friend at?"

Danny shot him a look, which was when Dash saw all the rings under his eyes. He looked worse than Kwan. "Fuck off, Dash."

Dash glared. "Jesus, Fenton, I was just wondering where he was. I didn't know anyone to skip the first day."

"Real fucking funny," Danny spat. Danny was usually a pebble compared to Dash, but he grew at least a foot in the last three years. Was he working out? He was a bit less... stringy than the quarterback had imagined. He was a bit more toned. The way he stood, though, that was weird. It looked like he was in pain.

Sam grabbed his arm. "Danny, maybe he doesn't know."

"I don't know what?" Dash asked. "Seriously, I was just curious, I don't know why you're bitching, Fenton."

"Go away, asshole!"

"Danny!" Sam snapped. "Stop being a dick, Dash didn't do anything. He just asked--"

"Okay," Dash said, raising his arms in defeat. "I'm leaving, I don't care."

"Fucking dickhead," Danny scoffed, but Dash just backed away. He didn't care enough to stay and get an actual answer.

Home room was fun. He had some buddies in there, and some of those buddies followed him to AP Calculus. First period math would suck, but he let it go in hopes that it would go by fast.

Study hall, then AP English (because he was damn smart and needed the money to go to college), followed by independent art, then AP Gov, and then lunch. Sixth period lunch was good. He sat at a huge table which was usually filled by him and his friends, but it only filled half. Down at the other end sat Danny, Sam, and Wes Weston, who didn't really participate in conversation. Danny didn't eat, and all Sam ate was a handful of pistachios.

Half way through, Danny ran out of the room as a sobbing mess, with Sam in his heel, and of course, Wes followed because he was a worry wart. Kwan and Paulina and Star laughed. They called Danny names. They literally laughed at another human being's pain, at his weakness. How rude. But Dash didn't care. He ate his big lunch and waited for the bell to ring.

Next was AP Physics, which he shared with Fenton. They were told that tomorrow, they would be paired with year-long lab partners, which was perfectly fine. Danny sat in front of him and shook the entire time. It got in Dash's nerves. The boy was a ticking time bomb, and it was only a matter of time before he ran out sobbing again.

 

Next was another study hall, and finally, vis com (visual communications). Dash shared that class with Danny and Sam, and he could tell that this class would be great because it was an easy 100%.

It was normal; there was a syllabus and then the rest of the period was free. Sam stood in front of Danny and held his hands. It looked like she was mouthing "calm down", but he wasn't sure. Dash and Kwan were busy anyways.

 

Halfway through the period, the principal's voice rang over the intercom all throughout the school for announcements. He welcomed the students bacK, told us new policies, and then announced a moment of silence.

"It has come to my understanding that a classmate of yours was murdered a few days ago, and was buried last night. My heart goes out to his family and friends, and to those who knew him. Tucker Foley, you will be remembered. We would like to dedicate the library in his honor; the Foley Library is now open to Casper High students, and we hope you all will offer your respects and remember the young pupil, and carry him on as your classmate. Rest in peace, Tucker."

Dash looked over at Danny, who was now crying, his face red and tears flowing freely. Sam had her head down, but her shoulders shook.

Everyone was silent until after class.

Dash caught Danny and Sam by his locker again. He approached slowly, checking to see if it was okay before he walked forward. "Fenton? Hey, I'm really sorry to hear about Fol-- Tucker. I didn't know, honest."

Danny ignored him. Sam looked up and smiled weakly. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"If you need anything--"

Danny cut him off. "Like what? Can you go back in time and not beat the shit out of him every weekday?"

"Danny," Sam murmured.

"I--"

"Thanks for your best wishes," Danny told him with a snort, "but you're the last person that should be forgiven for shit."

Dash crossed his arms. "I'm seriously just trying to apologize, not confess to a priest. I'm sorry that he's gone, no one deserves that pain."

"What do you know about pain?" Danny asked him. "You know how to inflict it but not take it."

Dash could see that he was beyond pissed; his hair was messy and hung in his face, his face was red and his eyes burned into Dash's soul. His jaw was locked, but then, Dash noticed something else, too. There was a cut on his face, and another right on his nose. That wasn't there before, was it?

"Where did you get that cut?" Dash asked.

"You're sweating your foundation off," Sam whispered. "Cool it."

Danny's face was covered in cuts, and w bruise circled his left, blue eye. Sam pulled at his arm, but it wasn't over. Danny was pissed and he just lost his best friend. There was bound to be blood and stubbornness throughout the week.

"Why do you care?" Danny snapped. "It's not gonna stop you from beating on me."

"We're seniors, Danny, I--"

"No matter how old you are, you will always be a prick," Danny told him. "Always, forever, and ever until the earth decays. You're an asshole, Dash, and at don't want you thinking I'm going to be your friend just because you feel bad that one of your victims died."

"What the fuck do you want from me, Fenton?" Dash hissed. "Do I need to grovel at your feet? Should I made a shrine of you three and honor it for the rest of my life? Jesus, this is my worth it. Fuck you, then. Your little friend wasn't worth this conversation."

Danny swung first, and missed, staggering, far too weak to properly land a punch. Dash dodged, and swung back, hitting him in the face. He fell to the ground with a thud, still conscience but too weak to move.

Sam fell to his side to help him. Dash, realizing he just proved Danny's point, walked away from the duo, afraid. Maybe he was right. Dash would always be a monster


	2. Yes, Sir

Dash avoided Danny the next day, seeing how he was too miserable. At lunch, Danny didn't talk nor eat, leaving Sam and Wes trying to get something into him. When he wouldn't budge, she gave up, and rested her head on his shoulder. 

Dash ate a piece of pizza, a hamburger, some fries, a pudding cup, and some soup. He was a growing boy, and that was his excuse. Paulina downed her fair share, Star was vegan so she just loaded up in her rabbit food, as he called it, and Kwan basically ate the same thing as Dash.

AP Physics came next, which wasn't exactly the best. They were assigned seats, and whomever you shared a table with would be your lab partner for the whole year. There was no method to her choosing. It was all random. She placed Dash in the third row, third table, and beside him was Danny.

Danny would be his lab partner for an entire school year. Danny glared at his shoes as he shuffled over to sit by Dash. Great. Dash would be stuck with a kid that hated his guts.

Study hall flew by, and vis com came rushing around the corner. Sam and Danny were doing their own thing, of course, and Dash just told Kwan jokes. That's all it was. No work was done.

Dash passed Danny's locker, which was odd. Danny clung to Sam, his breathing all jacked up and his entire body shaking like he was being electrocuted. "Is he okay?" Dash found himself asking.

Sam tried to support his weight, but she wasn't strong enough, and he was taller than her. He slipped out of her reach. "Danny! Yeah, uh, just a panic attack. It'll blow over when I gave get him somewhere out of sight. He just needs a minute."

"Do you need help?"

"No... Well... Maybe." Sam tried to lift him up again. "If we can get him to Lancer's room, he can sit there until he feels better."

Dash slipped an arm under Danny's, and supported his weight. "Lead the way, I'll follow."

They walked to Lancer's room, ignoring the looks they were getting. Sam opened the door and walked in, waving at Lancer. "Hey, Mr. Lancer. Code blue."

"Come in, Daniel," the teacher spoke.

Dash helped him in, and Sam pulled him away. She propped him up in the other side of Mr. Lancer's desk, then sat at a desk near the entrance. "Thanks, Dash."

"And he just... Rides them out?"

"Yeah. I'll get him some water and he'll be fine."

"Are they normal? Like, it's just... Sometimes there? And they don't mean you're sick or anything, right?"

Sam nodded. "He's fine."

Dash nodded, deciding that was enough with the questions. He just pulled out a water bottle and set it on the desk. "I'm gonna head out, but that's for Fenton." He zipped his book bag closed and simply walked out.

The next day was pretty boring. It was Wednesday, the third, and Danny and Sam pulled into the parking lot a row away from Dash and Sam got out of the driver's side, crossed over to the passenger side. Danny got out--more like fell out--and Sam caught him.

"Danny, you should have stayed home," Sam squeaked. "I'm taking you--"

"I'm fine," he gasped, but Dash saw that he wasn't. He saw the way he limped away from the black Mercedes only to be tripped by Kwan. Laughs erupted until Sam made a fist and started swinging into Kwan's face.

"Get off of him!"

"Don't touch him!" Sam yelled, punching until she had blood on her knuckles from his nose. But she wasn't done. Dash broke it up, pulling her off of him and setting her down near Danny.

Kwan stood up and brushed himself off. "Thanks, bro. That goth bitch is crazy! Did you--"

It was Dash's turn. He swung and hit him hard enough to send him down and knock him out cold. He turned to Sam. "Next time, turn your fist as you punch, and ease up, don't let your arm be stiff."

Sam tried her hardest not to smile, but she still ended up with a grin. They both pulled their friends up and parted ways.

Home room and calc flew by, study hall dragged on. It was boring; Sam and Danny were in there, but it turns out they usually just go to the library. It was closed today for some reason. They just sat there, Sam reading a book and with her free hand, she was rubbing circles into Danny's hand. He was slowly drifting off, only to be jolted awake by the bell.

AP English was boring; Kwan fell asleep during the discussion of "The Poisonwood Bible" and went unnoticed by the teacher. Dash didn't like the book, to be honest. He wished he could fall asleep for forty minutes, but he was already into the discussion and it would look suspicious if he stopped now.

In art, he was sculpting with clay. Mugs were the first project in the list, which wasn't his favorite, but it was good enough. He dug in and decided he was going to make a mug shaped like a ghost.

AP Gov was nothing to talk about. All the teacher did was pass out text books and call it a day.

Lunch was odd. Danny basically slept the whole time, while Wes and Sam talked about him.

"He hasn't eaten a full meal in a week," Sam whispered. "His body is gonna fail him."

"I can snag some muffins and stuff from Panera. He loves those."

"I'll pay you back," Sam offered.

"You're not the only one with rich parents, Sam," he teased, and they began to worry about Danny's weight.

Danny freaked in AP physics. He began to breathe sloppily, trembling as Ms. Sweeney continued in about labs and such. Dash pulled a water bottle out of his back pack and slid it over to him.

Danny pushed it away, but Dash looked at him. "I have more. Take it."

And the rest of the day was a blur.

• • •

Dash lie in bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't feel like a freak anymore after seeing Danny: he felt bad for working it like that, but it was true. Seeing Danny have a panic attacking eased him. He wasn't alone with anxiety.

The only thing he hated about it was the fact that he didn't know why he was like that. Why caused the anxiety? Why did he cry when he had panic attacks? Did Fenton cry?

"Dash! Supper's ready!"

He climbed up and ran down to eat. His father was at the head of the table, his wife on his left and Dash on his right. The meal was quiet until he spoke.

"I think the chicken is very good, Elaine. Well done." He smiled at his wife before glancing over at Dash. "What did you do today?"

"I went to school, sir. All AP classes."

"Good work." He gave his son a pat on the back, which he flinched at. Not that the father noticed. "Aiming for a scholarship?"

"Yes, sir. I found many today during my study hall."

"Well done. Major?"

Dash swallowed nervously. "I... I have three lined up right now... Sir."

His father took another bite of his meal, but this time, slowly. The look he have his son sent shivers down both Elaine's and Dash's spines. "Three majors. Hmm. Indecisive, Dash."

"I was hoping to ask your opinion, sir."

The man nodded and took a swig of his wine. He was a drinker, but far too rich to get drunk off beer. "Alright. Let me hear your major choices."

Dash nodded quickly. "Yes, sir. I want to either major in English, History, or Physics. I was thinking--"

"We're you thinking?" his father snapped. "You see, boy, none of those seem actually up your alley. English? What are you, a pussy? Gonna write me a book about fairies? And history, well, might as well call the history channel because that's where you'll end up. And physics? Boy, you play football. The only physics you need are already applied and do not need to be learned."

Dash nodded. "Yes, sir. I apologize."

"You apologize, what?"

"I apologize, sir."

• • •

School was the same except Paulina announced that she and Star were dating. No one cared, really. It was just annoying now because they wouldn't stop kissing. Dash flung tater tots at them during lunch.

Danny ate muffins from Panera, Sam cheered him on, and Wes pretended to mind his own business just so Danny wouldn't feel awkward.

In physics, they did a lab. Danny hit himself in the face with a meter stick and everyone laughed. He glared at their paper and decided to take notes on the lab instead. Dash was fine with that. He wasn't exactly the greatest at note-taking.

Study hall was boring. Star and Paulina braided their hair over and over again, which was honestly boring. Viscom was pretty normal. The first project was to photoshop something, literally anything.

Kwan didn't do anything. Dash sat in front of the computer, thinking of ideas. Sam photoshopped a collage of, well... Dash didn't know who. Some rock star. Some lady with a nose ring and the side of her head shaved. She was hot, but Dash didn't bring anything up.

The final bell let out, and Dash stopped. He didn't want to leave his locker. He stood there with it open, staring inside, desperately not wanting to move. If he went home, he would have to answer the major-question again, but Dash had no other interests. He thought that becoming a teacher wasn't so bad. He could teach physics and AP physics, because Ms. Sweeney was old and on her way out. If she didn't punch out from a heart attack, then she would retire right around the time Dash applied for the job.

"You alright?"

Dash flinched but looked over to see Danny standing with his hands in his pockets. "Oh. Yeah, I just. Yeah I'm good. Just thinking."

"Oh... Well, Sam and I are heading to the library to study if you wanna tag along." He had trouble saying the words, and Dash could tell that he wasn't welcome. He saw Dam waiting at his locker, watching them. She put him up to it, probably to make up for the last conversation.

"I..." Screw it. "Sure. I'll be down there in a minute.

The library was empty. The two losers and the jock took a table closes to the wall, sitting down before taking out textbooks. Kwan didn't study so no one would see that Dash was with the two weirdos. No one important, anyways; the nerds around here didn't count.

No one talked. The trio worked until four, when Sam stood up and sighed. "That's enough for me."

"Me, too," Danny mumbled.

Dash nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for, uh, letting me study with you guys."

• • •

"Where the hell were you?"

Dash swallowed his pounding heart and looked his father in the eyes. He was angry; in fact, Dash had never seen him so red and pissed before.

"Answer me!"

"The library, sir," Dash told him weakly. "I was studying with classmates. We have a test in AP Physics, sir, and I--"

"Do you know what today is?" his father screamed.

"No, sir. I'm sorry for my ignorance, I--"

His mother watched as Dash was smacked across the face. Her son staggered back, his cheek pink and stinging. "Austin, please. He was busy with his studies. I made a nice dinner, I wish you would ease your mind and enjoy it. Your birthday is a very special day."

Dash couldn't believe he forgot the minster's birthday. He watched as Austin Baxter rubbed his chin before turning in his heel. "You are dismissed without dinner, filthy child. I want you out if this house. Be home by midnight. You will come home directly after school, understand?"

"Yes, sir."


End file.
